Where can I find adventure jobs?

There are numerous adventure job types available including:

International Voluntary work

This includes working with orphanages, wildlife conservation and rebuilding of communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. You get the chance to travel and experience different cultures but face the risk of contracting tropical diseases such as Malaria and Bilharzia. You should take all necessary precautions and be willing to stay in third class accommodation with little or no luxuries. Apart from this, there is also a certain amount of danger involved for instance, the risk of getting caught up in civil war, or having to deal with dangerous animals.

These jobs are ideally suited for adventure lovers in the age range of 20 to 30 and can be the start of your career in conservancy, the UN or even humanitarian aid. It does however also mean that you will be far away from home and familiar people. No experience is normally required, but young graduates in related fields can use international voluntary work as part of their internships.

Park Ranger

Although the park ranger may not have as an exciting job as a firefighter, working with animals and a diversity of plants under less than comfortable circumstances, can be adventurous. The KZN Wildlife Trust in South Africa offers a number of volunteer jobs where people can help to rehabilitate wild animals, conduct research and help maintain the eco-balance around the South African coast. Other places include the rainforest, Canada, and wildlife expeditions in Costa Rica. The hours are irregular and the job is not suited for people who don’t like the bushes. It is the ideal entry level job for job seekers in the conservation field.

Overseas Summer Jobs

Most overseas summer jobs can be found in the tourism industry. Although the pay is low, you get the opportunity to travel and meet a lot of interesting people.

The jobs available include au pair jobs in the UK, USA, Europe, South Africa etc, with the ability to work with children and communicate in the required language as a must. Although the pay is high for this type of job, the hours are long with a long list of responsibilities. It can however, be used as part of your internship or building experience if you study teaching.

Farm work is another type of adventure job that is also not dangerous. It may mean that you lodge with a room mate and have to work long hours in the scorching sun but you see other parts of the world.

You can also act as tour guide in a number of countries. You will need good people and communication skills and excellent organization abilities. This can be very exciting and can be used as a springboard into the tourism industry. The basic salary is low, but tips and commission can be saved for the rainy days. You get to eat at high class establishments and learn about different cultures.

Travel Journalist

You get to meet interesting people, visit places where you normally wouldn’t go, dine, drive several types of vehicles and write in a creative style. You get paid for reading and writing. Most travel journalists work for magazines or websites. It is easier to break into this field as a freelancer than in any other journalistic field. You need excellent writing and reporting skills, a love for traveling and must have a creative mind. Although you won’t become rich overnight and may have to supplement your income with other types of part time jobs in the beginning, good writing will pay off in the end. It is however not a well-suited job for married people unless they travel as couples since you will spend very little time at home.

Work for an NGO

You can work for an NGO in developing countries and get paid to help struggling communities. Not only can it be used to further your career, but you get the chance to contribute to society. The World Health Organization and conservation NGOs employ people from the medical, conservation, building and humanitarian aid backgrounds. These jobs normally pay well and can easily become permanent careers. If you are married, you will need to discuss these opportunities with your spouse as a lot of traveling can be involved and in many cases you may have to live in rural communities where there are no schools and clinics.

Ski Instructor

Holiday jobs at ski resorts are full of adventure and excitement. You can easily become a ski instructor by starting of in any type of ski resort work and then practicing your ski skills. Once you start to teach the children of ski resort visitors, you can work your way up and attend ski camps and courses. Ski instructor work pays well and has some prestige to it. The career possibilities are endless and you can go all the way up to national level certificates and instructor work. You normally work from early mornings until late afternoon and have the evenings off. It entails a six day week, but on your days off you can also enjoy the ski slopes.

Dog Handler in Alaska

You must be able to work with dogs as you will drive a sled with dogs, take care of them and also interact with clients. This is a great summer job that pays well. Excellent communication skills are required and a love for animals and the outdoors. You will need to travel to Alaska and be willing to work in extreme cold conditions. It is a student job and not well-suited for older people since it is physically demanding.